OLYMPIC champion Natasha Jonas praised a group of National Lottery winners who have given a Wirral boxing club a makeover.

The winners, worth more than £60 million combined, have put on their overalls and spent the day at Birkenhead Venture Boxing Club, giving the Brassey Street venue a much-needed lick of paint and creating famous boxer murals for the walls at the same time, featuring the likes of American legend Muhammad Ali.

Natasha Jonas, the first female British boxer to go to the Olympic bronze medallist Games in 2012, dropped in to help out and praised the volunteers for their work.

She told the Globe: "Birkenhead Venture club for me is one of the Meccahs for boxing in Wirral.

"Away from boxing I run my own employability programme and anytime we do a Wirral one I always bring those taking part to Venture, because I know that outside that shaun is a real community person.

"It's a community club that is run by the people for the people."

The Liverpool-born five times Amateur Boxing Association champion, European Union gold medalist and silver European medallist continued: "The National Lottery funding is a real boost for the club. 

"When you're on the ground in foundation clubs like this, it means everything. 

"It's the difference between kids being able to do stuff and not and getting kids off the streets and out of trouble.

"Funding is hard to come by, particularly in tough economic times such as we are in now.

"It's great that the lottery helps the clubs on the ground, because they do so much for the community.

"Throughout my life, thinking about it now, we've had a football team that's been funded by the lottery and new turf on our playing fields.

"My amateur boxing was given money for an extension to make the club bigger and paid for an Olympic-size ring and other equipment.

"As I got up through the levels, I was also lottery funded.

"It just shows what Lottery funding can do when put in the right places." 

Birkenhead Venture Boxing Club has previously received £95K of National Lottery funding.

Head coach Sean Trodden said: "We are so grateful to the winners for giving up their time to paint our club.

"This will make a huge difference to our facility, which is a vital lifeline for so many young men and women.

"The murals are fantastic too. We pride ourselves in providing the very best facilities for our men and women and being as inspirational as we possibly can.

"All the little touches and attention to detail will have a huge impact on everyone who trains here.

"We're total volunteer organisation, depend on weekly subscriptions from members and have done really well from the Lottery in the past.

"For the winners to give up their time as they have to help us out by painting is absolutely fantastic, because they could be on a beach sunning themselves - I know I would be if I won that kind of money, ha ha - so all credit to them."

Fellow coach Danny Kelly added: "We don't get paid to be here, this is our time. If we did it for the money we wouldn't be here.

"We do it because we like to see the kids do something with their lives. 

"There have been a few kids from this club who have gone to sporting stardom. That's good for us to see, our wages, if you like."

The National Lottery winners were joined by some of the boxers from the club who will directly benefit from the work, including Sean 'Masher' Dodd, Commonwealth Lightweight and WBC International champion.

Among those putting on the painting overalls was Emma Dunkley from Formby, who won £6.5m in 2009.

She told the Globe: "Club's like this are fantastic. They give children the chance to do something they want to do, something to focus on and set them on the right path in life.

"It's lovely to be able to help. You can donate money as much as you like to a charity, but actually being able to give something back by doing something like helping to paint a community resource like the boxing club is more heartwarming than anything else.

"You know you're putting something back into the community and making a difference.

"To us it's just a bit of time painting and stuff, but to them it's actually changing lives."